Hotel group Le Meridien and Visa International payment system have combined forces to drive online transactions in the region. In a joint promotion, the companies have created a microsite to offer the convenience of booking and paying for hotel rooms online.
The microsite offers discounts to travelers from the region, as well as the added incentive of a fourth night free when paying by Visa for three consecutive nights’ accommodation at any of 23 Le Meridien properties in the Middle East and West Asia.
Le Meridien’s online bookings are standing at about four percent of total revenue. According to the global marketing information services firm JD Power, Le Meridien customers are more than twice as likely to book online as for any of the company’s competitors.
Meanwhile, the final quarter of last year saw e-commerce transactions on a global scale continued to grow with Visa payments via the Internet up 82 percent in terms of transaction volume and 105 percent in terms of dollar volume.
Le Méridien is a global hotel group with a portfolio of more than 140 luxury and upscale hotels (38,000 rooms) in 55 countries worldwide. The properties are located throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
The company also enjoys a strategic alliance with JAL-owned Nikko Hotels, providing loyal guests access to an additional 42 properties around the world. Headquartered in London, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts Ltd is owned by Nomura International Plc and managed by Terra Firma Capital Partners.
International payments brand Visa generates more than two trillion dollars in annual volume. Visa-brand cards and are accepted at over 24 million locations around the world. The Visa organization benefits its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
